Classic Horror Fiction

A cosmic collection of bone-chilling and terrifying short horror stories by Laurie Blake.

Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus was written by the English author Mary Shelley. It recounts the tale of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who creates a grotesque, living creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. The first edition was published anonymously in 1818 when Shelley was only 20 years old. Her name finally appeared in the second edition, published in France in 1823. She was supposedly influenced by knowledge of alchemist experiments carried out by Johann Dippel in the Frankenstein Castle in Germany.

En Angleterre, le docteur Seward a demandé le concours de son maître le docteur Van Helsing pour soigner la charmante Lucie Westenra atteinte d'une anémie incompréhensible. Une succession d'incidents effroyables amène le savant hollandais à croire l'inimaginable possible.

Vampire P.I. Jack Fleming is playing babysitter to Gabriel "Whitey" Kroun, a dangerously unstable mobster-and newly-created vampire-with deadly secrets to hide. As Jack tries to unravel the mystery surrounding Kroun's undead state, he gets caught between his charge's violent outbursts and some syndicate torpedoes looking to rub them both out, leaving him vulnerable to an even deadlier threat- the return of an old enemy desperate to unlock the secrets of Jack's vampire immortality.

"My name is Raine Benares—and it sucks to be me right now. I’m a seeker who found the Saghred, a soul-stealing stone that gave me unlimited powers I never wanted. Now I’ve lost the rock—and the magic it gave me—to a goblin dark mage whose main goals are my death and world domination. This is more than incentive enough for a little trip to the goblin capital of Regor with a small band of good friends, not-so-good friends, and one outright enemy.... Don’t ask."

Sandrine Salome flees New York for her grandmother's Paris mansion to escape her dangerous husband. The house, famous for its lavish art collection and elegant salons, is mysteriously closed up. Although her grandmother insists it's dangerous for Sandrine to visit, she defies her and meets Julien Duplessi, a mesmerizing young architect. Together they explore the hidden night world of Paris, the forbidden occult underground, and Sandrine's deepest desires.

Inspired by a trip to a graveyard in Wales, the novella was originally not well received. The Great God Pan is now considered an excellent example of Gothic fiction, and has influenced such writers as Bram Stoker, H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, and Ray Bradbury.

For years, the mysterious Count Dracula has terrorized Transylvania from the shadows of his great gothic castle; but when his latest victim—John Harker—makes a daring escape, the ancient vampire may have finally met his match! Told through the perspective of multiple characters, including vampire-hunter Van Helsing, beautiful schoolteacher Mina Harker, and even the loathsome Count himself, the story of Dracula has never been so much fun for kids to listen to.

Before H.P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson, Stephen King and Anne Rice, Henry James wrote hair-raising stories that made horror a popular, sometimes controversial, widely-read literary form, and set the bar for all who followed. Stephen King considers James’ The Turn of The Screw one of the best horror novels ever penned.

While taking a break from his latest painting, an artist casually stands at his window, looking at the street below. Much to his horror he sees a hideously disfigured man, a man whose features draw a repulsive shudder - the artist recognizes him from a nightmare foretelling his own death.

Between 1925-27, H.P. Lovecraft wrote Supernatural Horror in Literature, an extended essay about about the history of the weird tale. In it he describes supernatural horror from its earliest manifestations up to the 1920s. Lovecraft offers his own candid opinions on the merits (and deficiencies) of the world's canon of strange literature. The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society recorded the essay as an audiobook. Read by society founders Sean Branney and Andrew Leman, the recording is approximately three hours long.

Washington Irving was an American author of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories, with his two most famous being "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip van Winkle".

Pubblicato nel 1886, Lo strano caso del Dr. Jekyll e Mr. Hyde, è considerato una pietra miliare della letteratura di tutti i tempi. Il capolavoro di Stevenson analizza l'eterna lotta tra il bene ed il male con una potenza drammatica che lo ha reso un’opera di portata universale. Il tema del “doppio” emerge prepotentemente dagli esperimenti del dott. Jekyll, il quale esplorando il lato oscuro di ogni essere umano, incontra il suo spaventoso alter ego: Mr. Hyde.

Gerard Sorme thinks the key to a more meaningful life lies in an expansion of human consciousness, and he believes that one way to expand it is through sexual experiences. He sets out to record in diary form his sexual encounters with various women: the middle-aged Gertrude, her teenage niece Caroline, and Diana, the wife of a mad composer determined to adapt Varney the Vampire into an opera. But Sorme finds his beliefs and ideas challenged when he meets the fascinating and dangerous Caradoc Cunningham.

Dr. Henry Jekyll, fascinated by the dichotomy of good and evil, no longer wants to inhibit his dark side. He concocts a potion to create the alter ego of Mr. Edward Hyde. With the burden of evil placed on Hyde, Jekyll can now take pleasure in his immoral, nefarious fantasies - free of conscience and guilt. It's when Hyde turns to murder that Jekyll realizes how monstrous his impulses are and how hard they are to suppress.

Halloween Night, 1954. A young, film-obsessed scriptwriter has just been hired at one of the great studios. An anonymous investigation leads from the giant Maximus Films backlot to an eerie graveyard separated from the studio by a single wall. There he makes a terrifying discovery that thrusts him into a maelstrom of intrigue and mystery - and into the dizzy exhilaration of the movie industry at the height of its glittering power.

Naomi Feldman has never understood the strange energy that hums beneath her senses. But when she comes across an ancient artifact that seems to beckon to her, she may finally find the answers she's been seeking. Alaric, a centuries-old vampire, lives a solitary life by choice. When he's assigned to protect Naomi, long dormant emotions stir to life. Pursued by a dangerous enemy and battling their growing attraction, Naomi and Alaric follow the mystery of the artifact from the museums of Athens, the streets of London, toward a confrontation that will decide the fate of two worlds...

Regarded as a major innovator in the art of the short story, Rudyard Kipling was one of the most popular writers of prose and poetry in the late 19th and 20th century and awarded the Noble Prize for Literature in 1907. Listen to one of his well-known works.

"The Devil and Tom Walker" is a short story by Washington Irving, tackling the theme of making a deal with the devil. The greedy and easily-corruptible Tom sells his soul in exchange for power and riches, but soon regrets his foolish, though absolutely irreversible choice. A typical cautionary and moral tale, "The Devil and Tom Walker" is a central story in Irving’s fiction, emphasizing the problems of human condition, family issues, and decision making.

When her eccentric aunt passes away, no-nonsense accountant Clare Cermac inherits more than just a small fortune. She receives the gift of communicating with ghosts. While Clare may not believe in spirits, it’s hard to overlook the shadowy talking dog appearing on her bed or spectral cowboys tipping their hats to her in the streets of Denver. And when she locks eyes with sexy - and living - Zach Slade, there’s certainly no ignoring him either.